Is "Jesus" a Magic Word?

Demon possession was common in Jesus' time. He and His disciples encountered it wherever they went. When Christ ascended, Peter and Paul ran into evil spirits frequently.
The demons didn't stand a chance.
There were a group of men, however, who witnessed Paul casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Paul could do this since Jesus had given him authority to do so. These men had no such authority, having never been born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit. In other words, they had no power in the spirit world.

These seven men, sons of chief priest Sceva, would try to drive out evil spirits in Jesus' name. They were "exorcists". I don't know how successful they were, but one day they met a man who would have none of it.
See, they would say "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out!" Notice they do not really know Christ, they just heard about Him. His name isn't a magic word to be used by just anyone, as evidenced by the demon-possessed man's response:

"Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"



Who?

 

I think the demon was having a little fun! Then it had a lot of fun when it beat those men senseless and- well, read it for yourself:

"The man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding."

Yow! Do not use the Lord's name in vain!

What is the lesson here? Using Jesus' name for selfish gain is foolhardy. All the preachers who fleece money from their flocks to make themselves rich are in for a terrible surprise. And all those who partake of occult practices are also in for a terrible surprise. They have no protection from the unclean spirits who want their souls.

 You can become the demon-possessed man, or one of the seven sons who ran away naked and bloody.
Or. . .you can follow Christ and watch as the demons flee from you. He imparts His followers with authority over the spirit realm. See how God used Paul in this instance:

"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them."

I remember being visited by demons once. I was terrified by their presence. I could see shadows moving around, but it wasn't caused by shifting light or my imagination. I called my mom, we confessed our sins, and then I felt a certain boldness, a power that I hadn't felt before.

Then I cast those things out! I claimed my kids, my house, my property as belonging to Jesus. Then I opened the front door and commanded them to leave! And you know what? They did. They could not stand before the power of Christ, as used by one of His followers. After that, the place felt "clean".
Con artists can't do this. Christ's name is not to be used lightly, not to be misused. It is to be respected.
There is power in the Name of Jesus.